KRVU-LD

KRVU-LD (channel 21) is a low-power television station in Redding, California, United States, affiliated with MyNetworkTV. It is owned by Sinclair Broadcast Group alongside ABC affiliate KRCR-TV (channel 7, also licensed to Redding) and three other low-power stations: Chico-licensed Antenna TV affiliate KXVU-LD (channel 17); Chico-licensed Univision affiliate KUCO-LD (channel 27); and Chico-licensed UniMás affiliate KKTF-LD (channel 30). Sinclair also provides certain services to Paradise-licensed Fox affiliate KCVU (channel 20) through a local marketing agreement (LMA) with Cunningham Broadcasting; however, Sinclair effectively owns KCVU as the majority of Cunningham's stock is owned by the family of deceased group founder Julian Smith. The stations share studios on Auditorium Drive east of downtown Redding and maintain a news bureau and sales office at the former Sainte Television Group facilities on Main Street in downtown Chico (for FCC and other legal purposes, the Chico/Paradise-licensed stations still use the Chico address and Redding-licensed stations use the Redding address). KRVU-LD's transmitter is located near Shasta, California.

History

KRVU/KZVU was founded by Sainte Partners II, L.P., owned by country-western singer Chester Smith and hit the air in 1993, seven years after the founding of KCVU (KZVU-LD was originally K21DS from 1993 to 1997 and KZVU-LP from 1997 to 2009). It became an affiliate of the fledgling new UPN network in 1997 and would change affiliations to MyNetworkTV following the creation of The CW in 2006. Smith remained owner until his death in 2008.

Merger with Eureka Television Group

On April 27, 2009, KRVU/KZVU merged its operations with sister station KEMY in Eureka, California, and both stations were rebranded "Northern California's My TV".

Sale to Bonten Media Group

KRVU and its sister stations were sold to Bonten Media Group in 2012. (The flagship station of Sainte, KCVU FOX 20, was sold to Esteem Broadcasting, but became operated by Bonten.)

The station was formerly known as MyTV Northern California, but reverted to its original call letters upon the station's purchase in 2012.

KEMY would be dissolved in 2014 after Bonten launched KECA-LD as its digital replacement in the Eureka market, with KRVU/MyNetworkTV programming appearing on its digital subchannel.

Sale to Sinclair

On April 21, 2017, Sinclair Broadcast Group announced its intent to purchase the Bonten stations (including KRVU-LD) for $240 million. The deal came immediately following the re-instatement of the "UHF discount", which reduces the calculated "reach" of a station for the purposes of national ownership limits if it broadcasts on a UHF channel.^[2][3] The sale was completed September 1.^[4]

Technical information

KRVU-LD subchannels

KRVU-LD's signal is multiplexed:

KZVU-LD subchannel

Early switch

KCVU, along with KHSL-TV and KNVN ceased analog operations on December 22, 2008. KCVU ceased analog operations early because the post-transition tower is complete and has been up and running for at least seven months; same case with KHSL. In the case of KBVU and its sister stations, the transition for some was much later as KUCO-LP, KXVU-LP, KKTF-LD, and both KBVU and MyTV's analog translators remained analog through late 2009/early 2010 when the Sainte Television Group ended all of its analog operations.

KVIQ and KBVU already made the switch on November 28, 2008.

References

External links

• MyTV Northern California's website
• Fox 20's website
• Facility details for Facility ID 58612 (KZVU-LD) in the FCC Licensing and Management System